Shane Smith at the 18th annual Webby Awards. Photo by Bryan Bedder via Getty
The phrase "excellence on the internet" can seem like an oxymoron to anyone who's ever been in the comments section of a YouTube video or a bodybuilding forum thread that's tried to figure out how many days are in a week, but that's exactly what the Webbys seek to honour every year. Think of them as the Oscars, but instead of awarding golden statues to the beautiful, chiseled celebrities you think about as you drift off to sleep, it grants spring-shaped curios to the faceless keyboard jockeys who produce the content you scroll through on your phone while waiting for the bus.